Sci Adv . Severe COVID-19 induces autoantibodies against angiotensin II that correlate with blood pressure dysregulation and disease severity

[tetano]

Sci Adv


. 2022 Oct 7;8(40):eabn3777.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn3777. Epub 2022 Oct 7.
Severe COVID-19 induces autoantibodies against angiotensin II that correlate with blood pressure dysregulation and disease severity


Priscilla S Briquez[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sherin J Rouhani[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jovian Yu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Athalia R Pyzer[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jonathan Trujillo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Haley L Dugan[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Christopher T Stamper[SUP] 4 5 6 [/SUP], Siriruk Changrob[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Anne I Sperling[SUP] 5 7 8 [/SUP], Patrick C Wilson[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Thomas F Gajewski[SUP] 3 5 9 10 [/SUP], Jeffrey A Hubbell[SUP] 1 5 10 [/SUP], Melody A Swartz[SUP] 1 5 9 10 [/SUP]



Affiliations

• PMID: 36206332
• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn3777

Abstract

Patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can experience life-threatening respiratory distress, blood pressure dysregulation, and thrombosis. This is thought to be associated with an impaired activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the main entry receptor of SARS-CoV-2 and which also tightly regulates blood pressure by converting the vasoconstrictive peptide angiotensin II (AngII) to a vasopressor peptide. Here, we show that a significant proportion of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 developed autoantibodies against AngII, whose presence correlates with lower blood oxygenation, blood pressure dysregulation, and overall higher disease severity. Anti-AngII antibodies can develop upon specific immune reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 proteins Spike or receptor-binding domain (RBD), to which they can cross-bind, suggesting some epitope mimicry between AngII and Spike/RBD. These results provide important insights on how an immune reaction against SARS-CoV-2 can impair blood pressure regulation.

 

[kiwibird]

One of the authors of this paper has undertaken this study. https://pme.uchicago.edu/news/inver...tiple-sclerosis-and-other-autoimmune-diseases

"​​​​​​A new type of vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) has shown in the lab setting that it can completely reverse autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes — all without shutting down the rest of the immune system.

A typical vaccine teaches the human immune system to recognize a virus or bacteria as an enemy that should be attacked. The new “inverse vaccine” does just the opposite: it removes the immune system’s memory of one molecule. While such immune memory erasure would be unwanted for infectious diseases, it can stop autoimmune reactions like those seen in multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system attacks a person’s healthy tissues.​"

Original paper link https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-023-01086-2